Becoming Familiar with the Sun Within

In Tibetan, the word gom—often translated as “meditation”—literally means to become familiar with. This subtle yet profound nuance transforms the idea of meditation from a task to an intimate homecoming. When I lived in a Tibetan refugee camp, the main temple was called the Gompa: the place where one becomes familiar—with silence, with awareness, with the pristine nature of mind itself.

According to the teachings, our buddha nature—the clear, radiant essence of mind—is always present. It is not something we need to create or acquire. Yet, like the sun hidden behind clouds, it often goes unnoticed. The clouds are our ordinary thoughts, our vrittis and pratyayas—the endless movements and contents of the mind. The sun, steady and unwavering, is the luminous awareness that underlies all experience.

The path of meditation, then, is not one of striving or self-improvement, but of settling—allowing the mental winds to calm, the inner snow globe to rest. Thich Nhat Hanh once spoke of letting a glass of cloudy apple cider sit until the sediment settles and the juice becomes clear. The same is true for consciousness. When we stop shaking the snow globe of our minds with endless reactivity and distraction, the world becomes transparent, revealing what has always been shining beneath.

In that stillness, something extraordinary yet deeply natural reveals itself—compassion. When the clouds part, love flows effortlessly. We begin to see that everyone shares this same inner sun. The recognition of our shared buddha nature becomes the foundation for global wellbeing.

So perhaps the true purpose of a Gompa—whether it is a mountain temple or the quiet corner of your living room—is to rediscover this familiarity with our own inner light. To rest in it. To let it radiate outward, gently warming the hearts of others.

As we each become more familiar with our inner clarity, the world itself becomes more transparent, less divided, more whole. The sun has never left; it only waits for us to remember.

☀️
May all beings remember the light within,
and let it shine for the healing of the world.